When will Adobe provide us with these two essential features in Flash catalyst? Leaving out a drag gesture in Flash catalyst is a big let down because drag gesture is a common and often useful gesture for interaction. Adobe's attempt at supporting HTML5 through Adobe Wallaby or Adobe Edge (FLA to HTML5) feels like a wrong direction to me.

If the argument is that HTML5 is the next standard for UX/UI designers then the easiest tool that can replicate what HTML5 can/will do to use a similar animation workflow that can get basic transitions done quickly and that tool is Flash Catalyst. I stand being corrected an attempt to publish HTML5 documents/banners/slideshows with Flash professional will lead to large file size with partly supported features and bugs which can make designers frustrated. I also believe that Adobe can include some backward compatibility checks when publishing to HTML5 from Flash catalyst for browser(s) that do not presently support all the features of HTML5.

Please can someone feel us in on what Adobe is gonna do to Flash catalyst in the next release.

I think working with HTML5 will continue to be a headache for many years to coming, and no tool will solve that. Browsers are all different, javascript engines are different. These are facts that designer and developers will have to work with. As for the future of Flash Catalyst, I think with the announced/demo'ed features of the upcoming 'Panini' release, Flash Catalyst will become more integrated with Flash Builder. Which hopefully means, they will be able expose more base functionality that exists in the Flex framework.

Yeah Chris, HTML will evolve with time. But for devices (tablet pc revolution-ipad, android based mobile phones, etc) and browsers with partial support. Designers using Adobe tools shouldn't be left out of the party(I'm a core designer though I get my hands dirty with some AS & FLEX codes when the need arises). Even if Flash Catalyst's future is tied to Flash Builder which is a good idea in the first place. Why did Adobe omitted drag n drop interaction? It just won't do it if we don't have it in the next official release. It defeats the purpose of the tool (I mean FC). By now Adobe should start warming us up for Multi-Touch Interactions in FC. Designers are dying to see these two features in the next release, else Adobe is performing cosmetic surgery to a patient that requires a cure. Adobe - keep up the good work.